1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a mounting device for a flat screen display panel. More specifically, a mounting device for a flat screen display panel that allows the display screen to be adjusted both laterally and pivotally subsequent to mounting is disclosed.
2. Description of the Related Art
Flat screen displays, such as plasma televisions, thin film transistor (“TFT”) displays and the like, are progressively gaining popularity throughout the marketplace. As a result, they are regularly showing up in a wide variety of viewing areas ranging from boardrooms to family rooms.
This recent proliferation has resulted in many different mounts and mounting techniques. There are several different ways to mount a flat panel display including hanging ceiling supports, floor stands, and wall mounts. Current flat panel displays can be quite heavy, with the weight increasing as the display size increases.
Many traditional mounts require an installer to first affix the mount to a supporting surface and then subsequently position the heavy display and align the mounting hardware. This can be a difficult task appreciating the weight involved in many of today's flat panel displays.
An alternative method requires an installer to first secure the mounting hardware to a support surface and then heft and align the display with the previously installed hardware. This method requires at least two installers to hold the display and simultaneously align the mounting hardware and secure the display to the mount.
In addition to weight, an additional drawback results from the fact that today's flat panel display devices are not consistent in their location of mounting holes or mounting hardware, and thus, a plurality of different mounting devices are required to conform to the individual panel to be mounted.
The ability to adjust the orientation of a display panel mounted on a wall is a desirable feature for consumers and installers of a display panel. An example of an apparatus permitting lateral (or horizontal) adjustments of a mounted display panel is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,585,203 entitled “Flat Panel Display Exterior Rack Mount” to Euker. The patent discloses a mount with relatively few moving parts: a single supporting rod, a display panel mounting bracket with a hole sized for the supporting rod, and two side brackets that mount to the wall and the hold the single support rod. The single supporting rod fits through the display mounting bracket and above the display panel to support the entire weight of the display pane in a free floating vertical orientation. The display panel under the single support rod moves laterally for horizontal adjustment.
The apparatus shown in Euker has a few problems. One problem is that the upper portion of the mounted display screen cannot be tilted downward, and is restricted to the free floating vertical orientation. Another problem is that the display screen merely allows the bottom portion of the display screen to swing toward or away from the wall with no locking ability to fix the orientation. These problems limit the usefulness of the apparatus for vertical angle adjustments.
Another example of an adjustable mounting apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,102,348 entitled “Appliance Mounting Device” to O'Neil. The mounting apparatus allows some lateral and some vertical adjustments to be made to a mounted display panel. The patent discloses an apparatus with several components, especially more moving parts such as multiple movable arms and springs biasing the frame and as vertical pivotable connectors.
The O'Neal mounting apparatus has at least two problems. One problem is that as the number of moving parts and overall parts increases, the installation time for the mounting apparatus generally requires more time. In addition, as the number of moving parts increases, the opportunity for a break down generally increases too. See FIGS. 1-9 of O'Neal. Another problem is that the apparatus shown in O'Neal sacrifices its ability to remain close to the wall throughout lateral adjustment of the mounted display panel by using outward arms to shift the frame attached to the panel display. When the mounting display panel moves from the center parallel orientation shown in FIG. 1 of O'Neal toward either side, it is necessarily farther from the wall in various orientation along its lateral range of movement.
There is a need for an adjustable mounting apparatus that addresses the problems described in the background.